Fours Summer Cup '24 - Fours Ruleset

Fours Ruleset

It is the responsibility of each player to be informed of the contents of this ruleset before competing in the Fours Summer Cup '24. Ignorance of this ruleset is not an excuse.

1. Format

Rules within this ruleset apply strictly to the Fours format (4v4). While each ruleset may share rules, the specific contents are likely different when listed within a format-specific ruleset rather than the Global ruleset.

1.1. Class Limits

The following class limits are required on for official matches. Breaking these limits in any way is considered cheating, and depending on administrator discretion could lead to an infraction or a match result being overturned.

1 Scout
1 Soldier
1 Pyro
1 Demoman
1 Heavy*
1 Engineer
1 Medic*
1 Sniper
1 Spy

* Teams cannot use a Heavy and a Medic at the same time.

1.2. Whitelist (Unlocks)

The Fours Summer Cup '24 whitelist can be found here.

1.3. King of the Hill (KOTH)

In the Fours Summer Cup '24, all King of the Hill (KOTH) maps follow a best of five win condition with a three minute team clock. Different KOTH maps may vary slightly on overtime timers, locked and unlocked timers (when the point is not able to be captured at the start and when it unlocks) as these are built into the map.

1.4. Group Stage Matches

During the group stage, teams compete in a series of matches each featuring a different map from the map pool. All group stage matches are played as a best of one (BO1).

1.5. Playoff Matches

Following the conclusion of the group stage, the top four teams in each division progress to the playoffs. Playoffs for all divisions will follow a Single-elimination bracket, including a third place playoff match. All playoff matches are played as a best of three (BO3) series.

1.5.1. Map Selection Order

The higher seeded team is Team A. Maps must be played in the order in which they were picked.

Fours BO3 Pick/Ban Order

Team A bans a map
Team B bans a map
Team A picks a map
Team B picks a map
Team A picks the remaining map
- This step is required as the website will not automatically add the remaining map.

1.6. Forfeits

Forfeits are not permitted in this competition; doing so will result in the offending team being disbanded.

Please see 4.5. Disbanded Teams of the Global Ruleset for additional information on disbanded and removed teams, including penalties for team captains and players.

1.7. Minimum Players in Matches

In matches, teams are expected to play with the required total players at all times. If a team is unable to meet this requirement with rostered players, they must utilise mercenaries.

If a team fields fewer than the four total players, or fewer than three rostered players, the opposing team will be awarded a forfeit win resulting in the disbandment of the offending team.

2. Teams

2.1. Team Captains

Captains have the ultimate responsibility for their team, representing them in organising matches and communicating with ozfortress administrators. In the event of any team-related offenses, captains will be held responsible and will be subject to punishment.

2.1.1. Captain Requirements

Teams must nominate two captains and, if a captain is unavailable or departs a roster, the team is expected to nominate another captain. All team captains are required to join competition-related Discord servers as outlined in 7.2. Team Captain Discord of the Global ruleset.

2.1.2. Captaincy Bans

Captains who fail to fulfil their required responsibilities, particularly when it impacts other teams within their division, will receive a captaincy ban. The duration of the captaincy ban is determined by ozfortress administrators based on the specific context of the situation.

2.2. Active Roster

The Active Roster comprises all players, regardless of whether they are core or substitute players, that can be used in matches. Players not on a team's Active Roster must be approved for usage as a mercenary. To view players on the Active Roster of a competition, view the Leagues tab on a team's ozfortress profile.

2.2.1. Minimum Roster Size

Teams must have a minimum of four players rostered at all times, however are encouraged to have one substitute player in the event that a core player cannot play.

2.2.2. Maximum Roster Size

Teams may not have more than five players rostered.

2.3. Out of Region Players

There is no limit to the number of out of region players which may be on a roster. However, out of region players must satisfy the 3.2.1. Ping Limit.

2.4. Class Restrictions

Depending on the skill level of a player and their team, class restrictions may apply. Class restrictions are informed by many factors including, but not limited to, other teams and players within a division. As restrictions are often contextual, a player who shifts teams within a division may encounter a different set of restrictions.

2.4.1. Class Restriction Limit

Fours Summer Cup '24 rosters may only contain a maximum of two players with class restrictions.

2.4.2. Class Restriction Breaches

In the event that a match where a player plays a restricted class, this player will receive a Tier 2 Infraction. Additionally, a forfeit win will be awarded to the opposing team resulting in the disbandment of the offending team.

2.5. Player Transfers

Teams will be unable to transfer players in or out of their roster during this competition.

3. Mercenaries

A mercenary is a player not rostered on a team's Active Roster that is used in lieu of an unavailable team member.

3.1. Mercenary Requirements

All mercenaries must meet all player requirements as outlined in 2.2. Player Eligibility of the Global ruleset. This includes ping limits and not facing any exclusion penalties.

3.2. Mercenary Approval

Mercenaries must be approved by a captain of the opposing team. When requesting a mercenary, captains should provide the following information to the opposing team:

a link to the mercenary's ozfortress profile
which class(es) they intend for the mercenary to play
which player the mercenary is replacing

Once a mercenary is approved, it must be stated in the match thread.

3.2.1. Reasonable Mercenary Requests

A player who is completely unrestricted in a division below that in which a match is being played is considered a reasonable mercenary request and should be approved without any restrictions.

In the event that a team is concerned about the impact of such a player, team captains are encouraged to contact an administrator.

3.2.2. Reasonable Mercenary Denial

As there can be significant skill discrepancies within a division, teams have the right to deny players from the same division from playing as mercenaries.

However, please do try to accommodate reasonable mercenary use as you may find yourself in the same position. We recommend contacting a league administrator if you are unsure of the skill level of the requested mercenary.

3.2.3. Contesting Mercenary Denials

If a team captain has requested three mercenaries which they deem to be of a reasonable level and the opposing team has denied all three, an administrator should be contacted.

3.2.4. Mercenary Manipulation

Attempting to manipulate other teams into allowing mercenaries is an infractable offence. ozfortress administrators will interpret these messages literally and will not consider any message as a joke. All mercenary requests should be made seriously and with genuine intent.

3.2.5. Mercenary Class Locking

When approving a mercenary, teams have the option to lock a mercenary to specific classes. Unless mercenaries have been explicitly class locked, they can play any class of their choosing. Any class locks placed on mercenaries must be stated in the match thread.

3.2.6. Class Restricted Players as Mercenaries

The class restrictions of a player still apply when accepted as a mercenary. They are prohibited from playing those restricted classes in divisions below where the restriction was set.

This is also true for the division where the restriction was set. However, if an opposing team would like to ignore the class restrictions of a mercenary within their division, they can do so but must seek administrator approval.

Class restrictions do not apply in divisions above where the restriction was set, however such players are still subject to potential class locking as outlined above.

3.3. Mercenary Limits

In Fours matches, teams may not use more than one mercenary at one time.

3.4. Reusing Mercenaries

Teams can only make use of the same mercenary within two matches. There is no limit on the amount of mercenaries used in this competition, only on one specific player.